Petal's Prophecy
by whitewind04578
Summary: Petal was born in a barn, raised in a barn, lives in a barn and will most likely die in a barn. Raised by Lily, a tough old streetcat, she learns from Lily and from her Messenger friend, Amber. When she receives a prophecy, given by cats with stars in their fur, she must choose, become a messenger and leave her life or stay a rouge forever. *Book two in The Messenger Chronicles*
1. Chapter 1

The heavily pregnant queen padded slowly along the twoleg sidepath, her pawsteps weary. A dark brown tom trotted a few paces ahead, his paws dragged as well, and his whiskers drooping with tiredness.

"Dancingsong, the place is just up here." the tom called back her black striped tail flicking with at least a little joy. The queen looked up.

"Really, Fleetdust? We're almost there?" Dancingsong padded faster, her silvery striped belly swinging with each step.

"Slow down, darling. You'll hurt the kits." Fleetdust soothed, dropping back beside her and pressing close. The silver tabby sighed, the happiness gone from her face.

"My paws are so tired, Fleetdust. We should have just kept the kits for this much trouble." she mewed, her paws now lagging. Fleetdust pressed close once again, his amber eyes reassuring.

"Lily will take good care of them," he meowed, licking her cheek and then breaking into a weary lope. He paused at the side of a fence and peered around a corner, before giving a nod and waiting for the queen to catch up. She padded to his side and they rounded the corner together. At the end of the cracked and misused thunderpath, there stood an old barn, half falling over.

Dancingsong cringed back into Fleetdust, her sapphire gaze wide with terror.

"Our kits can't be born in that!"

A she's dusky voice came from a dark spot near them. A scarred cream she with narrowed amber eyes and a large scar parting her shoulder fur padded towards them, her pawsteps making no noise on the hard surface.

"It'll still be standing when this city falls. It's good enough for a queen _very_ close to kitting." she meowed, flicking her tail. The tip had been bitten off and was ragged on the end.

"I'm Lily."

**_There you go, happy? Fine, fine, I'll write more. Ugh, such demanding Reviewers, *coughcoughhinthintcoughcough* C'mon, guys!_**


	2. The Storm

It was three sevensuns and a day before the kits were born on a stormy night. The thunder and lightning crashed, lighting the old tumbled down barn. Dancingsong wailed, her flanks heaving. And, with a final push, the last kit out of four was born. She lay there, snuggled into the old straw, panting. Pain glazed her sky blue eyes and she gasped out a request to Fleetdust.

"I'm . . . going, soon, my love." she gasped out, struggling for breath. "We need to . . . name them." blood welled at the side of her mouth and Fleetdust crouched down, panic growing in his eyes. Tears filled his amber eyes as he realized she was right. Lily sat with her head bowed, silent. Fleetdust growled suddenly, narrowing his eyes.

"This isn't fair!" he wailed, throwing his head back as rain beat on the tin roof. Lily looked up, her own amber eyes saddened at the tomcat's grief.

"Go to Dancingsong and name your kits." she murmured, nodding at the dying she and the squirming new-borns. He growled once more, the sound of it almost lost in the crack of thunder that drowned out the monsters wheels and the ever ending murmur of the strange lines that ran over the old barn. He was crouched by her, stroking his tail along the silvery she's cheek when she whispered the first name.

"Petal . . . just Petal. For the cream and brown she." Dancingsong coughed, her time was now limited.

"And Rush, for the brown tabby tomkit." Fleetdust licked her cheek, love in his amber gaze.

"Willow . . . for the silver she. And Jay, for the gray tabby she." Dancingsong murmured, her head lying limp, cradled in his paws.

"And the last's name is Song, my love." _After you,_ he thought, his eyes blurring with tears. They fell upon his now gone mate. Her spirit rose, gave him a lick on the forehead, murmured words of love to her wiggling children and ascended to the final place of rest.


	3. I Promise

The first thing I remembered was the cold, damp, chilling, straight-to-the-bone cold. Then, something warm, soft and pliable. And then, when I first opened my eyes, seeing my mother, Bramble for the first time. She had dark amber eyes and her fur and was sleek. She was lean, not like some kittypets with great, soft bellies hanging down, or like a rogue with a scruffy pelt and hungry desperation gleaming in their eyes. She was a mix of both lives, to say. She had muscled hindquarters and the sharpest claws I'd ever seen. But, when around her owners, she became a tame pet, purring and putting her claws away for the moment. I was in awe, her double personalities a mystery to my brother and I. Oak, Bramble's rogue mate, was a father to my brother and I, playing with us and hunting fresh prey for us to eat. I took to it immediately, but Rush hated it. He preferred the hard pellets that came out of a bowl instead of the fresh prey out of the woods. Anyways, on to my current life, as a rogue.

"C'mon, Rush!" I called, bounding into the stream and ignoring the fact that Bramble would kill me, verbally, of course, later for the wet fur. Trees stretched up above me, swaying the very topmost limbs in a rhythmic dance to music they could only hear. I peered at them, my eyes straining to see the tops. Nope. I turned to see Rush, his brown-and-black striped face only inches from mine. He grinned and then pounced, rolling me over in the stream. I yelped, batting at him with my paws. We scrambled to our paws an draced onward, traversing the flowery meadow that we came regularly to frolic in. I sneezed, sending dandelion fluffs up. It was spring and every thing was good, Oak brought us prey almost every day and I enjoyed forays such as this. I tumbled over and over with Rush, his amber eyes laughing at my squeals of joy. I pushed off of him, my much lighter body springing away and landing with only a small sound on the grassy ground. He rolled once more and then scrambled to his paws before bounding over and sitting down, wrapping his tail around his paws. He nuzzled me and I swatted him playfully. I fell back, rolling onto my back and staring lazily up at the sky.

"This is the good life, Rush. Food, water, play."

"Yeah, Petal. It is. Oak and Bramble are saying we're to big to stay for much longer." his melodious baritone took on a whining sound. "It's not true, is it?" I stared at the bright blue sky, thinking long.

"Rush, I long for something more. A place in the forest, but also in the openlands, up there." I had gotten to my paws and was gazing with such longing that Rush pressed himself to my side. His amber eyes were wide with fright.

"You're not going to leave me, are you?" he whispered, burying his muzzle in my side. I laughed and gave his ear a lick, shaking off the yearning that had over come me a moment ago.

"Of course not, silly. I would never leave you. Now, come on. Bramble will be worrying by now." we set off at a slow wlk, enjoying the tiny breeze that stirred our whiskers. I stretched my head up, inhaling deeply. A scent of something earthy, but with trees, rivers and fresh caught prey. I sniffed deeper, savoring the scent.

"Come on, Petal! Gigi wants to see you!" Rush yowled from somewhere ahead. I sighed, thinking of the chatty light orange she up ahead. I turned away from the enticing smell and loped forward, my gait smooth and rolling. I skidded to a stop, giving Gigi a nod and then sped forward, ignoring her calls. I loped for a few more moments and the settled down on a steep slope overlooking the city. I heard Rush apologize and then his pawsteps behind me. I rolled my eyes, waiting for the lecture.

"You aren't very nice to her, you know." his word sent a pang of discomfort straight to my heart. He shifted and I looked over. A small blush heating his face and my eyebrows shot straight up.

"You like her!" I meowed, a small niggling of jealousy working it's way into my heart. I cut it off and burned it, stamping it down.

"No, you just . . ." his explanation died off lamely, ending with him bowing his head and breathing quietly, as if he hoped I would forget he was there. Then he moved closer, pressing into my pelt.

"I saw you back there. I know you're going to leave sooner or later." he murmured quietly. I jerked, surprise lighting my eyes. I settled down again and licked the top of his head. I was slightly taller and made good use of it at times like this.

"Oh, Rush. I've always known I'd leave. Sometime." I felt his body stiffen and he looked up at me, his amber eyes desperate.

"Yes, I do like Gigi. I need you to make me a promise. Don't leave until I have my first litter. Please, Petal, I _need_ you!" he whispered, his voice ragged. I choked back a cry of objection and then leaned back into my brother.

"I . . . I promise."

_**And there you go! The prophecy I made sucks. I know. It's terrible. But, let's see you guess who the storm is! Buahahaha- cough, cough! Ack, this beep, beep, beeped, beep cold it beep, beep, beep! Sorry, the sensors are for young kits. Don't need to emotionally scar them till their older. Teeheehee. See ya guys later!**_


	4. Blurring Together

_**No, my minion. This will most assuredly be a cat. But, which one? Cue evil laugh. Anyways, on to the story. **_

A small brook ran down the middle of the clearing, and I laughed, as shining droplets flew up around me. The laughter ceased as I noticed the feeling of being watched. I forced another laugh, and raced into the trees surrounding the meadow. I flew like the wind for a moment before bounding up a tree and waiting. It wasn't long before my watcher came trotting towards me. He was a tom, with bright red, bushy fur. A splash of white covered his chest and part of his muzzle. He had bright amber eyes with a ring of white around the left. I hissed silently as he passed, unawares under my tree. I turned, balancing with the utmost care. As soon as I had him in my sights, I launched myself, landing squarely on his ginger back. He let out a yelp as we both dropped like a rock to the leaf covered ground. I felt the breath whoosh out of me and his spine was digging into my stomach. I recovered first a dn swatted him over the muzzle. He blinked and then leaped straight up into the air, letting out a blood curdling shriek that could wake the dead. I actually looked around, expecting to see old cats walking towards us with grumpy expressions at being woken. Then I felt his weight crash into me. I kicked him off, leaves flying everywhere as we tussled. I swiped a paw down his shoulder, leaving thin trails of blood. He yowled, bowling me over and biting at my flank I dodged and then came down on his exposed back, flailing my paws. Oak had giving me a bit of training and I was putting it to good use here. I pinned him at last, his amber eyes narrowed. He went limp, breathing hard.

"You don't fight half bad." were the first words to come out of his mouth. I hissed and swatted him over the ear.

"Fox! You lousy cat!" a light ginger she came striding out of the surrounding woods, her green eyes furious. She gave me a nod and I moved, grinning. She picked him up, cuffed him over the ears and then set him down, still with furious expression on her pretty face.

She turned to me, now apologetic. "Forgive my friend. He's young and curious." I laughed.

"Much like me." I meowed, dipping my head. "I'm Petal, daughter of Bramble and Oak and sister of Rush." a flicker of recognition sparked in her green eyes.

"Amber-" she shook her head. "Just Amber. Daughter of Mere and Maguire, sister of Blacky, Cinder and Dust. And this is Fox, son of Vixen and Wolf, brother of Tempest, Lightning and Thunder. And of the Tribe of Howling Wolves." he grinned ruefully, his amber eyes sparkling.

"Oh, the torture!" he mock wailed, falling back dramatically. I laughed again, sitting and wrapping my tail around my paws.

"You're one to talk." came a lilting voice. A beautiful gray she with stormy gray eyes gracefully strolled towards us. On either side of her was a burly gray tom, almost identical except for the eyes. One set was green and the other blue. Fox groaned, for real now.

"Hi, Tempest. Lightning, Thunder." he greeted the three with a sigh. Tempest smiled, showing pearly fangs. I groaned inwardly. The beauty was overwhelming. _Not._ The comfort I had been feeling with just the three of us disappeared. I stood, flicking leaves off my fur.

"Well, I gotta go. See ya later, Fox. Bye, Amber." I whirled around and took off, the trees blurring together.


End file.
